Google apologized for mistakenly sending a news alert that fully spelled out a racial slur blurted at the BAFTA Awards this weekend by Tourette’s Syndrome advocate John Davidson while the cast of “Sinners” was presenting onstage. According to Google, AI was not involved in the error.
“We’re very sorry for this mistake,” a Google spokesperson said Tuesday. “We’ve removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again.”
The alert in question linked to an article from The Hollywood Reporter about the fallout of Davidson, a Tourette’s advocate, shouting the n-word as an involuntary tic while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented onstage.
The alert then invited readers to “See more on” followed by the spelled-out n-word.
You can view the Google notification here.
According to Forbes, the exact number of people who got the alert is currently unknown. A Google spokesperson said that the notification was removed from users’ devices after being caught, adding that the company is working on guardrails to prevent such a notification from going out again.
The incident poured fuel on an already tense conversation out of the BAFTAs, where Davidson – who has Tourette’s, which causes involuntary tics including blurting out insults and offensive language – was seated in the audience.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts faced harsh criticism after the scene, with the slur not being edited out of the BBC broadcast. “Sinners” star Delroy Lindo also noted that he and Jordan “did what we had to do,” but that they wish “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward.”
During the ceremony itself, host Alan Cumming apologized for the incident while on stage.
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background there, this can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming told the crowd. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
“Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler, however, criticized the apology on social media shortly after.
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened three times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show and a third time at a Black woman,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show.”
BAFTA released a full statement the next day.
“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation, and we apologise to all,” the British Academy of Film and Television Arts said in the statement. “We will learn from this and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”
